What's In A Name?
by Aya Diefair
Summary: No one ever bothered to ask, and for a very long time, she didn't bother to care. But a name is just as important as a title, and she made sure it was known. — - Fix-It of Sorts


**Author's** **Note:** Did it bother anyone else that literally nobody asked Valkyrie her actual name during Ragnarok or Endgame? It sure bothered me. A title is _not_ a name, sorrynotsorry.

Nowhere in the MCU canon does Tessa Thompson's character get an actual _name_, unless you count the Grandmaster's "Scrapper 142" (which I don't as it falls into the same category as "Valkyrie" as a name). When you remove a character's name and replace it with a job, you are removing their personhood. Before anyone thinks to use this defense: _interviews and wiki entries are _not _canon. _With that in mind, I have taken the liberty in correcting that in this piece and have established that the Last Valkyrie will be known in this work, and any of my future works that involve the character, as _Eir,_ and the Valkyrie that we see in her flashback (and who matches the comics version of the character pretty damn accurately) will bear the name _Brunnhilde_.

Agreed? Agreed.

This is an extended version of the end scene between Thor and Valkyrie at New Asgard.

Enjoy!

**Warning Tag:** References to Depression

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**What's In A Name?**

It was a beautiful cloudless day, a rare sight for their chosen coastline that overlooked the otherwise arctic waters. She watched as Thor slowly trekked up the hillside that overlooked the peaceful village of New Asgard. To her surprise, he wasn't as winded as she thought he would be as he approached her. They did just survive another major war that challenged both of their physiques and endurance, after all, and they both held up decently well.

Thor stood beside her now, looking out over the small fishing village they call home. The Asgardian race had suffered greatly in a very short time period, rendering them as a population threatened with extinction. Hela had done a damaging number on them, wiping out the entirety of the royal army upon her reintroduction to Asgard alone. The escape from her wrath had also cost them dearly near the end.

Thanos had simply decided that it was not enough when he intercepted their ship, though thankfully the majority of their people were spared from the Decimation afterwards. And yet, their resilience has pushed ever onward, with little thanks to Thor since his return after killing Thanos for good.

Unlike her thriving in the satisfaction of watching Hela parish with Ragnarok, Thor had the opposite reaction after correcting his mistake on terminating both threats.

Though she couldn't necessarily blame him for his plummet into depression. She had known a similar feeling of utter defeat and loss herself once and attempted to wash away her past and the nightmares that lingered within it for so, so long herself. Then, Thor and Loki had waltzed into her life and aided in pulling her from the foggy haze she put herself in. She had tried to do the same for Thor, but it was more difficult than anticipated to watch how far he fell from grace while she was on the road to recovery. Even for her, it was too much to bear witnessing the same deterioration she went through in someone else. Rather than be what her name entailed—a healer, protector—she instead enabled Thor's spiral into the darkness. But the people didn't deserve to be left to wander astray during that traumatic period of time, and so she did what she could to guide them and settle here among the mortals while they patiently waited for their king to return to them.

The serene, quiet location did end up bringing a healing grace they so desperately needed after all. It was Thor who directed them here in the first place, and it was time that he continued to guide their future.

"It is good to see you back with us," she said with utmost sincerity, looking at him with a soft smile. "They have missed you."

Thor hummed at the comment, taking several quiet seconds of the picturesque view in before briefly turning his attention over to her. She never liked the sunglasses on him, it made it difficult to read his expressions. They once were a tool to hide the dark circles under his eyes, to conceal the pain that haunted them, now they seemed like a desired fashion accessory. Clearly he had been on Earth for far too long to have adapted to their sense of fashion… or whatever he called his current garb..

"About that," he said, casting his gaze to the ground. "I have been the absolute worst to our people these past years."

She found herself scoffing at this. "That is such a foolish thing to say. You've done your best with what we've all suffered through, but Asgard still needs its king."

"They already have one," Thor deadpanned, removing his glasses before meeting her gaze for several seconds to enforce the seriousness of his words.

She chuckled nervously at the gesture, averting her eyes. "You're kidding."

"They deserve far better than what I could ever offer them now," Thor continued. "They need a leader, someone they can trust, someone that has been there for them. They have that in you."

She let out another half-hearted laugh before catching her lip with her teeth, pondering what was being presented to her. Maybe her namesake hadn't let her down after all, that everything she helped established wasn't for naught.

"Queen Eir does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Thor looked at her, puzzled by the comment. "What about the air makes it queen-like?"

Eir rolled her eyes at this. "That is my name, you big oaf."

Thor turned his full body her way then and she couldn't help but smirk at his slacked jaw and utter shock etching his bearded features. Eir knew that he never bothered to find out her name, and clearly his brother never bothered to share that information, either, regardless of what little downtime they had so many years ago.

"Y—you mean to say that your name isn't—"

"Valkyrie?" she finished for him, raising a brow. "There was more than one of those, you know."

"Yes, but I just…" he waved his hand around in front of him, "...supposed that you all conveniently bore the same name."

"What a silly thought. A title isn't a name."

"I was but a child when tales of the Valkyrie were recited to me. No one used anyone's actual names in the retellings," Thor argued back.

"Yet you retained such a childish thought to this day," Eir scolded, shaking her head. "Does everyone only call you the god of thunder and not Thor wherever you go?"

He grew quiet then, appearing to be pouting and dumbstruck at the same time. She allowed him time to gather his thoughts as she took in a deep breath of the fresh, salt-filled air.

Thor placed a gentle hand on her shoulder then, pulling her back to the present.

"My apologies for never asking, Eir, Queen of New Asgard," he said, giving a slight nod in approval to her new title. "It is clear that I still have much to learn in my lifetime."

Eir smirked, giving him a nudge with her elbow. "Just got to be willing to do so, is all."

They both grew silent for the time being, listening and watching the soft splashes of the water hitting the rock faced beachside below, taking in the shifting tides of both the physical and spiritual change that was voiced between them.

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**Word Count:** 1,059


End file.
